Safety shaft-coupling



(No Model.)

R. C. SPINKS.

SAFETY SHAFT COUPLING.

No. 863,015. Patented May 17, 1887.

(gym) 02 f0 z I F m q vi fwaooeo NITE STATES PATENT Erica,

RUDD G. SPINKS, OF OROOKETT, TEXAS.

SAFETY SHAFT-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,015, dated May 17, 1887.

(No model.)

T to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUDD G. SPINKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crockett,

in the county of Houston and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement iuSafety Shaft-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements i thill-couplings; and it consists in a certain novel construction and arrangement of parts for service, fully set forth hereinafter, and

specifically pointed out in the claims.

My object is to provideacoupling for ashaft or thill which will be suitable also for the attachment of a pole, either one of which may be quickly'detached to substitute the other; further, to provide a coupling such that in case the horse or horses should run'and the driver lose control of them he could quickly uncouple the shaft or pole from the vehicle and release said horse or horses without leav ing his seat in the said vehicle; further, to strengthen the connection between the shafts and the cross-bar in such a manner as to 0b viate all danger of the breaking apart of said shafts by the crossbar severing near the con nection, this being a common accident. I

attain these objects in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved coupling, showing a portion of the body of the wagon. Fig. 2is a top plan view of the coupling. Fig. 3isabotto1n plan view of the same.

Fig. etis averticallongitudinal section of same.

5 Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the coupling detached, showing in dotted lines a portion of the thill as seen when released from the coupling. Fig. 6 is a detail view of upper end of the brace-rod.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the axle of a buggy, and Bthe thills, having the thill-irons 0, provided at the lower end with the laterally-projecting 5 trunnions or studs 0.

D is a brace-rod secured at the lower end to the bolt (1, which passes through the thill and the thill-iron, and the upper end of the brace is flattened and bent into a V shape, the

extremities of which \I-shaped portion are secured by the lhroughbolts I) to the under side of the thill-iron, and the apex thereof is secured by a bolt, (1", to the cross-bar E. This effectually braces the joint between the cross-bar and the thill and prevents all twisting or straining thereof, and thereby insures the strength of the said joint.

G represents my coupling device, having the side plates, H, which are secured at the rear ends to the under side of the axle A by the strap I, which passes over the said axle and is bolted on front and rear sides thereof to the side plates.

H is a brace plate rigidly secured between the side plates, H, aboutthe center ofthe length 63 thereof, and K K are the couplingplates, pivoted at the front ends, respectively, on the inside of the front ends of the side plates, H.

It represents a notch formed in the lower edge of each coupling-plate near the rear end, 7.: which notch is adapted to receive the upper edge of the braceplate H, and K represents a detent on the extreme rear end of the plate, having a beveled or rounded under side and a slightly-inclined upper side. Arecess, K is formed in the lower side of the coupling-plate, and a recess, H is formed in the upper side of the side plate, so that when said coupling-plate is in position over the upper edge of the braceplate H the recesses 11 and K will correspond and form a circular opening or hearing, R, for the trunnions c of the thill. A depending projection, K is formed on the front end of the coupling-plate, so that when the said plates are in the position shown in Fig. 5, in order to couple the thill in position, simply place the trunnions thereof in the recesses of the plates K and push the said thill rearwardly, when the trunnions, bearing against the projections K, will force them back and reverse the coup- 9o ling-plates, allowing the trunnions to drop into the recesses H while the recesses 1' close over said trunnions and form the bearings.

L is a small rcarwardly-projecting plate socured tothe under side of the axle by the bolts 5 which secure the strap and side plates together, or in any other preferred manner, and M is a flat bar extending between said side plates and sliding at the ends in slots m therein. Said bar M is adapted, when pressed up to the upper lCQ end of the slots m, to engage over the detents K and prevent the reversing of the couplingplates; and to normally hold the said bar in engaging position I provide a leaf-spring, N, which presses at the end against the rear edge of the bar, passes up over the axle, and thence bar M.

opening Z in the plate L, under the axle, and

is divided at O, and the ends secured in openings at opposite ends of the sliding or'coupling It is obvious that if the end of the said coupling-bar is pulled upon, the plate M will be retracted, and the detents K being released, a pull upon the thill will reverse the coupling-plates, and the trunnions 0 will slip out of the-recesses. A loop, 0, is made in the end of the uncoupling-wire, adapted to have the snap-hook of a strap or cord, 1?, engaged therein, (the other end of said cord or strap having a similar hook engaged in the loop of the uncoupling-cord attached to the coupling for the other 'thill,) and the center of the said strap P is carried up and passed over the dashboard of the buggy, where it is secured over astaple prepared for it, to maintain said strap within easy reach of the driver at all times. Therefore, in case the horse should run and the driver lose all control of him, said driver can reach forward, pull up upon the strap, and

release the horse, and thus save the vehicle from destruction.

The upper sides of the detents are slightly inclined, as before stated, so that as the hearing between the side and coupling plates becomes worn the sliding plate M will move up farther upon the said detents and take up the wear, thus preventing all rattling of the thill in the bearing.

My coupling is "very easily manipulated, enabling the shafts to be disengaged and a pole or tongue substituted in much less time than any coupling now in use, and it is also very simply andstrongly constructed, and is adapted to stand a great amount of wear, that of the bearing being automatically taken up by the construction of the device.

The bearing is so formed as to bring the strain of pulling mainly upon the side plates of the device,which are firmly secured to the axle of the vehicle, while there is just sufficient strain upon that part of the bearing formed in the coupling-plate to cause said plate to be quickly reversed when the rear end thereof is released from the coupling-bar. Thus, although the bearing is perfectly safe and strong and able to bear any strain liable to be brought upon it while the plates are in position, the moment the uncoupling cord or wire is pulled the thills are thrown out of the bearing and are free.

I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction as herein described. For instance, Imay form the side plates,H, integrally by bending a single sheet of metal to form the said plates, while the cross-piece between the said plates at the rear rests against the front side of the axle. The cross-piece herein mentioned is the piece which connects the side arms and extends between them; also, I may secure the front end of the strap which passes over the axle to secure the device thereto to the said side plates by welding it to the said cross-piece; also, I may form the plate L and the brace-plate H integrally by extending the said plate L forwardly and bending it vertically up between the said side plates; also, I may carry the disengaging cord or wire rearward between the under side of the axle and the plate L, instead of through the said plate. These slight modifications are merely alterations in the par ticular construction of the parts, the general construction and the design and principle of the invention remaining unaffected thereby.

The main objectof the alterations, as herein mentioned, is to adapt the device for use on either a light or heavy vehicle, a light appearance being more desirable on a carriage than on a heavy dray-wagon, and consequently the said changes are made.

Having thus described claim- 1. A thillcoupling comprising the side plates secured to the axle, the coupling-plates pivoted to the side plates, a bearing being formed between the meeting edges of theplates for the trunuions of the thill, and a springaetuated locking-bar engaging said couplingplates to hold them normally over the thilltrunnions, substantially as set forth.

2.In a thillcoupling, the combination of the side plates having recesses in their upper edges, the coupling-plates pivoted to the side plates and having'reeesses in their lower edges registering with the recesses in the side plates, the free ends of the coupling-plates forming detents, the thill having trunnions rest-ingin the registered recesses, anda spring-actuated locking-bar engaging the detents of the coupling-plates, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In' a thill-coupling, the side plates, H, having a recess, H in the upper edge, the brace-plate between the side plates, the coupling-plates K, pivoted on the inside of said side plates and having a notch, 70, near the front end to engage over the upper'edge of the brace-plate H, and a detent, K, to engage under a movable cross-bar, M,combined with the thill having the trunnions to bear in the said recess, substantially as described.

4-. In a thill-coupling, the side plates, H, having a 'recess, H, in the upper edge, the

my invention, I

ICO

coupling-plates pivoted to said side plates and adapted to close over the recess therein, the detents K on the free ends of the couplingplates, the spring actuated lockingbar M, adapted to be held normally in engagement with the detents K, and the slots at in the side plates to receive the ends of the said bar M and allow the same to be drawn out of engagement with the said detents, combined with the thill having the studs to engage and bear in the recess H, substantially as described.

5. In a thill-coupling, the side plates, recesses therein, coupling-plates pivoted to said side plates, detents on the free ends of the coupling-plates, aligned slots in the side bars, locking-bar M,to slide insaid slots, and leaf-spring N, hearing at lower end against the rear side of the bar M, and extending over the axle and rigidly secured on the rear side thereof, combined with the thills having the studs to bear in the said recess, substantially as described.

6. In a thill-coupling, the side plates having the recesses H", pivoted coupling-plates K, having detents K, sliding spring actuated locking-bar M, to engage the said detents, and the cord or wire 0, divided at the front end and the ends secured to the opposite ends of the bar M, said cord being adapted, when pulled, to release the detents K, combined with the trunnions c on the thill to bear in the re cess H substantially as described.

7. In a thill-coupling, the side plates, H, having the recesses H", pivoted coupling-plates K, having the detents K, locking-bar M, plate L, secured to the under side of the axle and extending rearwardly, leaf-spring N, secured at the lower rear end in the said plate and extending over the axle and bearing against the rear side of the bar M, and the cord 0, secured to the said bar Mand passing up through an opening, Z, in the plate L, combined with the thill having the studs to engage in the re cess H, substantially as described.

8. In a thillcoupling, the side plates, H, and coupling-plates K, having the bearings It therebetween, the spring-actuated locking-bar M, to engage the free ends of the coupling plates, the cord or wire 0, to retract said bar M, loop or ring 0 in the upper end of wire O,and strap or cord 1?, to be secured at the opposite ends in the rings 0, formed on the upper ends of the wires 0, attached to the opposite couplings G G or the thills B B, said strap P to be carried up within easy reach of the driver, combined with the thills having the studs to bear in the recesses H, substantially as described.

9. In a thill-coupling, the side plates, H, having the recesses H in the upper edges, the coupling-plates K, having recesses IQ in the lower edges, said eouplingplates being pivoted to the front ends of the side plates, detents K, to engage under the spring-actuated lockingbar or latch, and projections K 011 the coupli ng-plates in front of the recesses therein, combined with the thill having the trunnions to bear in the said recesses in the side plates, substantially as described.

10. In a thill-coupling, the side plates, H, having recesses H therein, coupling-plates having corresponding recesses K" therein, detents K on the rear ends of said plates K, having a beveled under side and a slightly-inclined upper side, and the sliding spring-act uated lockingbar M, to engage over the detents K to hold said coupling-plates in position, the said coupling bar being adapted to slide farther up the inclined upper side of said detents as the bearing R, formed by the recesses H and K becomes worn,eombined with the trunnions c on the rear end of the thill to operate in the bearing It, substantially as described.

11. In a thill or shaft coupling, the plates having a bearing therein, combined with the thill-iron 0, provided with the trunnions e, to operatein said bearing, and the brace-rod D, secured to the under side of the thill by the bolts 1) b, which secure the said thill-iron to the thill, the upper end of said brace-rod being bent into a V shape between the bolts b, and the apex of said V-shaped portion bolted securely to the under side of the crossbar between the thills, thus bracing the joint between said cross-bar and the thill, and preventing the thill from twisting in the coupling or breaking away from the said cross bar, substantially as described, for the purpose hereinbe'fore clearly set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUDD O. SPINKS.

Witnesses:

J NO. H. Woorrnns, H. 0.,OASTLEBERG. 

